Ukrainian cargo ship Faina released

05.02.2009
Somali pirates have released the Ukrainian cargo ship Faina, after receiving $US 3 million in ransom, Reuters reported.

The pirates left the ship in small groups, each one holding a bag with part of the ransom money. The next group would not head to shore until it was assured by the previous one that they had reached shore and there was no danger. The head of the pirate group, Aden Abdi Omer, was among the last pirates to leave the ship.

The Faina will now most probably steam to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, where it will unload its cargo of weapons.

The Faina, which was loaded with 33 T-72 tanks, grenade launchers, antiaircraft systems, and ammunition, was captured by pirates on September 25, 2008, off the coast of Somalia while sailing to Kenya. The boat had a crew of 17 Ukrainian citizens, 3 Russians, and one Latvian at the moment of the attack. The captain, Vladimir Kolobkov, a Russian citizen, died of a heart attack in the aftermath of the attack.

The pirates initially asked for $US 35 million, but the amount was reduced to $US 3 million in negotiations. The negotiations first stalled reportedly because the pirates were unhappy with the intermediaries. In the end, they opted to deal directly with the owners.The Somali pirates who hijacked the Ukrainian ship Faina with a cargo of weapons have received $US 3 million in ransom money and are promising to release the boat shortly.

Translation: RusNavy.com